citizenship help.

Hello to all,
I have a quick question that I would like to run across this forum for answers/feedback if possible. I have lived in the U.S. since I was 3 yrs old and am now 25. After college, I worked abroad for over 1 year. Recently, I've been denied a citizenship status because I broke the "continuous residency" rule.
To my understanding, wasn't the "continuous residency" rule a way to gage, in quantitative terms, a non-citizen's loyalty to wanting to stay in the U.S.? If so, shouldn't my 20+ years in the U.S. be more than enough to prove my loyalty to the U.S.?
My main question is, because I've been in the U.S. practically my entire life...is there anything I can do at this point to fight for my status(e.g. appeal)?
Your insight and guidance in this matter is greatly appreciated.